With ‘The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor’ soon to be released in theaters, Universal revisits the first two pics in the franchise with extensive 2-disc deluxe editions that are definitely worthy of a look if you haven’t picked up a previous version.
The 2001 follow-up ‘The Mummy Returns’ hit theaters almost exactly two years after the original opened in 1999 and if the first was the epitome of the 90s blockbuster then ‘The Mummy Returns’ is certainly a film that marks a new transition – an overreliance on CGI to cover up any dead spots in the narrative.
While the first pic definitely had its fair share of CGI, it still seemed to be used more wisely to compliment the story and not actually become the story.
With this sequel which predictably rams a Bigger! Badder! More superfluous characters! mentality into the mix along with a daunting runtime, my patience began to wear a bit thin despite a lot of B-movie fun - too much fun perhaps?
Around 10 years have passed and Rick and Evelyn are now married adventurers with an annoying moppet in tow. Goofball brother Jonathan is back as well as Ardeth Bay. Good thing too as the convoluted plot now introduces two villains – one carryover and one new one - The Scorpion King. The character was a perfect big-screen debut outing for ‘The Rock’ as screen-time is limited to no dialogue in a prelude and his mug masked on a huge CGI scorpion travesty in the climax.
Anck Su Namun (Patricia Velasquez) has a great agent apparently as her role in the sequel gets beefed up as a reincarnated wench hell-bent on reuniting with her lover Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo).
There’s now some hogwash about Rick destined to be a part of Ardeth Bay’s army all along (due to a rather suspicious tattoo that was clearly not in the original…) and Evelyn being the incarnate of the Pharaoh’s daughter Nefertiri who clashed with Anck back in the day with a well-choreographed dagger battle that gets churned out again in the climax.
The manic-CGI and action reaches its apex in the finale that sees Rick face off against Imhotep and The Scorpion King and Evelyn, son and Jonathan taking on Anck Su Namun.
Did I mention the return of the mummy warriors, new wolf-like warriors that belong to the Scorpion King, pygmy creatures and an airship? All here and accounted for.
There’s definitely some fun here but the film dips too far into bone-headed territory too often. The addition of the kid was absolutely unnecessary, a move generally reserved for the 7th season of a tired sit-com, and the long running time gives you plenty of time to think about the fuzzy logic of the plot and the peculiarly different developments of the key characters.
The film is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and we get Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks, not DTS. Special Features start off with a commentary track with director/writer Stephen Sommers and producer/editor Bob Ducsay. ‘Outtakes’ is six minutes of fun which finishes off the extras on disc one.
Note that some of the special features are the exact same as what’s presented on the 2-disc deluxe edition of ‘The Mummy’ released the same day. This includes ‘The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor Sneak Peek’ and ‘Unraveling the Legacy of the Mummy’ which briefly reviews the history of Universal horror films. Other featurettes include ‘An Army to Rule the World Part 2’, ‘Visual and Special Effects Formation’, ‘An Exclusive Conversation with the Rock’, a twenty-minute ‘Spotlight on Location’, and a ‘Egyptology 201’ interactive info feature.
A theatrical trailer, music video and a digital copy of the pic round out the special features along with a movie ticket up to $7.50 to check out ‘The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor’.
It’s an entertaining pic but the abundance of CGI spectacle can get tiring. This DVD release, however, is perfect for those that missed out the first time and want to catch up with the franchise before the third one hits.
The Mummy Returns (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition) is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release for this version of the DVD in the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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